Donnie Darko

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This article is about the 2001 film. For the book, see The Donnie Darko Book.
Donnie Darko

Theatrical poster
Directed by Richard Kelly
Produced by Adam Fields
Nancy Juvonen
Sean McKittrick
Written by Richard Kelly
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal
Jena Malone
James Duval
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Mary McDonnell
Holmes Osborne
Katharine Ross
with Drew Barrymore
and Patrick Swayze
Music by Michael Andrews
Cinematography Steven B. Poster
Editing by Sam Bauer
Eric Strand
Distributed by Newmarket Films
Release date(s) October 26, 2001 (USA)
Running time 113 min. (original cut)
133 min. (director's cut)
Country USA
Language English
Budget US$4.5 million
Gross revenue US$4,116,307 (worldwide)
Followed by S. Darko
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Donnie Darko is a 2001 drama/psychological thriller/science fiction film written and directed by Richard Kelly.

The film had a small opening upon its release in the United States but gained newfound popularity upon its DVD release and a cult following over the years.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story takes place in 1988 in the town of Middlesex, Virginia[1]. Donnie Darko is an intelligent, socially awkward, and emotionally troubled teenager who sleepwalks, experiences visual hallucinations (possibly because of his paranoid schizophrenia for which he takes medication), and is in the medical care of a psychiatrist. One night, a jet engine from a commercial aircraft falls into Donnie's bedroom. He avoids death only because prior to the accident, he had obeyed a voice in his head that led him to sleepwalk outside of his room. The voice is that of Frank, an apparently imaginary friend in a man-sized rabbit costume. At midnight on October 2, Frank prophesies to Donnie that the end of the world will occur in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

Later, Donnie begins seeing "silvery plastic gel" spheres[2] that flow out from people's chests. Such a sphere indicates where a person will travel in the near future. In one example, Donnie sees one sphere snake into the living room, on the rear end of which his younger sister follows. Another sphere leads Donnie to a pistol in his parents' closet, which he takes and keeps.

Meanwhile, Frank instructs Donnie to perform acts which provoke certain chains of events:

  • Donnie is instructed to flood his high school, which ends up giving him the opportunity to court his new classmate, Gretchen Ross.
  • Donnie is intrigued by Frank to pursue the question of time travel, so he starts a conversation with his science teacher. The teacher gives him the book The Philosophy of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow, an old woman known as "Grandma Death" among the neighborhood youth. The book explains the scenario experienced by Donnie.
  • Donnie burns down the house of a motivational speaker he ridiculed at a school assembly, thereby exposing the speaker's secret "kiddie porn dungeon." The speaker's arrest begins a series of events that results in Donnie's mother chaperoning Donnie's younger sister and her dance group on a flight to Star Search in Los Angeles.

With both of their parents out of town, Donnie and his sister Elizabeth host a Halloween costume party on October 29, a day before the prophesied end of the world. At one point in the party, Donnie finds that the memo board on his refrigerator reads, "Frank was here, went to get beer." Gretchen turns up in a panic as her mother has disappeared, and she fears her stepfather has come to kill her. She and Donnie go up to his mother's room where they presumably have sex.

Later that night, Donnie, Gretchen, and two other friends seek advice from Roberta Sparrow when they get ambushed by two school bullies who happen to be robbing the house that night. During the struggle, the bully asks, "Why the fuck are you here?" to which Donnie proclaims "Deus ex Machina". Gretchen, having been pushed to the ground by the other bully, is run over and killed by a car swerving to miss Roberta Sparrow. The bullies flee. The car that killed Gretchen stops, and Donnie sees the driver is the real Frank dressed in a rabbit costume for Halloween. Donnie uses his parents' pistol to shoot Frank in the eye, killing him. This was foreshadowed by earlier scenes in which Donnie stabs the mirror image of imaginary Frank in the right eye and when Frank removes his rabbit mask to reveal a gaping wound in his right eye.

Arriving home with Gretchen's body, Donnie spots a portal opening in the sky and drives to a hillside. Donnie's mother and sister experience turbulence on their return flight home; one of the airplane's jet engines detaches and falls. The engine travels through the time portal to 28 days earlier and crashes into Donnie's bedroom, completing the predestination paradox. This time, Donnie chooses to stay in bed (most likely to save the girlfriend he will never meet). The ending is open to interpretation.

The story ends on the morning after the jet engine accident. Donnie is dead, and the people his actions affected are stunned. Frank, while designing a ghastly rabbit costume, subconsciously touches his right eye. Gretchen is alive and rides by Donnie's house on her bicycle. Never having met Donnie, she talks with a neighborhood child about the sad accident. She waves somberly to Donnie's mother, and they seem to share a vague sense of mutual recognition.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

[edit] Filming

Donnie Darko was filmed in 28 days on a budget of US$4.5 million.[3] It almost went straight to home video release but was publicly released by the production company Flower Films.[4]

The film was shot in California. Donnie's high school was portrayed by Loyola High School, a prominent Catholic school in Los Angeles, California. The house where Donnie's family lives is located in Long Beach, California. Donnie awakens in a golf course in Long Beach, California; the hotel where his family lodges is the Burbank, California, Holiday Inn; and the Aero theater where Donnie and Gretchen watch the double feature is a cinema in Santa Monica, California.

[edit] Music

Main article: Donnie Darko (soundtrack)

In 2003, composer Michael Andrews and singer Gary Jules found their piano-driven cover of the Tears for Fears' hit "Mad World", featured in the film as part of the end sequence, at the top of the UK music charts.[5]

A slightly remixed part of the song was used in the David Fincher directed TV commercial for the 2006 Xbox 360 game Gears of War. The advertisement brought the song an increased level of popularity, propelling it to number one in downloads at the iTunes music store in late 2006. This song has also had a strong presence in Internet culture, as it has been used countless times for fan videos and trailers. The song was also used at the end of an episode of CSI, at the end of an episode of Jericho, and in Smallville.

Other mainstream songs appear in the film, all of which are featured on the first CD of the British edition of the soundtrack. One continuous sequence involving an introduction of Donnie's high school prominently features the song Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears, Samantha's dance group, "Sparkle Motion," performs with the song Notorious by Duran Duran, and Under the Milky Way by The Church is played after Donnie and Gretchen emerge from his room during the party. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division also appears in the film during the party and shots of Donnie and Gretchen upstairs. However, the version included was released in 1995, although the film is set in 1988. The opening sequence is set to The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen, which relates to the plot of the film on two levels. First, Donnie's plight, newly found views on time travel and eventual demise are reflected in the chorus lines "Fate up against your will[...] will wait until you give yourself to him". Second, these lines delivered by "The Bunnymen" foreshadow the appearance of Frank as an agent of Fate.

[edit] Release

The limited release of this film happened only a week before the 9-11 attacks. It was then held back for almost a year on the international releases, where it fared much better and was viewed by many more cinema goers. From here the cult following of this movie began, and the DVD release of the film brought it again to American audiences.

[edit] Marketing

  • The Donnie Darko Book (2003), written by Richard Kelly and introduced by Jake Gyllenhaal, explains some of the film's details. The script is the director's cut.
  • NECA released first a six-inch (15 cm) figure of Frank the Bunny and later a foot-tall (30 cm) 'talking' version of the same figure.

[edit] Home video

Director's Cut DVD Cover
Director's Cut DVD Cover

The film was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. Strong DVD sales led Newmarket Films to release a "Director's Cut" on DVD in 2005. Bob Berney, President of Newmarket Films, described the film as "a runaway hit on DVD," citing US sales of more than $10 million.

The director's cut of the film was released on May 29, 2004, in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle International Film Festival and later in New York City and Los Angeles on July 23, 2004. This cut includes twenty minutes of extra footage, an altered soundtrack, the director's interpretation, and visual excerpts from the book The Philosophy of Time Travel. The director's cut DVD, released on February 15, 2005, included the new footage and more soundtrack changes, as well as some additional features exclusive to the two-DVD set: excerpts from the storyboard, a 52-minute production diary, "#1 fan video," a "cult following" video interviewing British fans, and the new director's cut cinematic trailer. The director's cut DVD was released as a giveaway with copies of the British Sunday Times newspaper on February 19, 2006.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Box office performance

The film debuted in U.S. theaters in October 2001 to a tepid response. Shown on only 58 screens nationwide, the film grossed $110,494 in its opening weekend. By the time the film closed in U.S. theaters on April 11, 2002, it had grossed $517,375.[6][7]

Despite the poor showing at the box office, the film had attracted a devoted fan base. It was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. During this time, the Pioneer Theatre in New York City's East Village began midnight screenings of Donnie Darko that continued for 28 consecutive months.[8]

[edit] Critical reception

Donnie Darko had its first screening at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001. Critic Andy Bailey billed Donnie Darko as a "Sundance surprise" that "isn't spoiled by the Hollywood forces that helped birth it."[9]

[edit] Awards

2001 — Richard Kelly won with Donnie Darko for "Best Screenplay" at the Catalonian International Film Festival and at the San Diego Film Critics Society. Donnie Darko also won the "Audience Award" for Best Feature at the Sweden Fantastic Film Festival. The film was nominated for "Best Film" at the Catalonian International Film Festival and for the "Grand Jury Prize" at the Sundance Film Festival.

2002 — Donnie Darko won the "Special Award" at the Young Filmmakers Showcase at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The movie also won the "Silver Scream Award" at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Kelly was nominated for "Best First Feature" and "Best First Screenplay" with Donnie Darko, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal being nominated for "Best Male Lead," at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film was also nominated for the "Best Breakthrough Film" at the Online Film Critics Society Awards.

2003 — Jake Gyllenhaal won "Best Actor" and Richard Kelly "Best Original Screenplay" for Donnie Darko at the Chlotrudis Awards, where Kelly was also nominated for "Best Director" and "Best Movie."

2005 — Donnie Darko ranked in the top five on My Favourite Film, an Australian poll conducted by the ABC.[10]

2006 — Donnie Darko ranks ninth in FilmFour's 50 Films to See Before You Die.[11]

It also came in at number 14 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies and landed at number 2 in their "Greatest Independent Films of All Time" list.

[edit] Adaptations

Marcus Stern, Associate Director of the American Repertory Theatre, directed a staged adaptation of Donnie Darko at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2007. It ran from October 27 to November 18, 2007, with opening night fittingly scheduled on Halloween. An article written by the production dramaturg stated that the director and production team planned to "embrace the challenge to make the fantastical elements come alive on stage."[12] More details and commentary about the production can be found on the A.R.T.'s official website and the A.R.T.'s official blog. In 2004, Stern adapted and directed Kelly's screenplay for a graduate student production at the American Repertory Theatre's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (I.A.T.T./M.X.A.T.).

[edit] Sequel

Main article: S. Darko

On May 18, 2008, filming began for S. Darko, the sequel to Donnie Darko. UK-based sales company Velvet Octopus will be launching sales for the film in Cannes, with Fox already having acquired North American rights. S. Darko will be set seven years after the end of Donnie Darko; Donnie's little sister Samantha and her best friend Corey are now 18 and on a roadtrip to Los Angeles when they are plagued by bizarre visions. Daveigh Chase, who portrayed Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko, will be reprising her role. The cast will also include Ed Westwick, Briana Evigan, and Justin Chatwin. Chris Fisher will direct the film, shooting on an estimated $10,000,000 budget and commenting he is "a great admirer of Richard Kelly's film and hope[s] to create a similar world of blurred fantasy and reality." Donnie Darko director Kelly is, however, not involved. According to Simon Crowe of Velvet Octopus, the character of Donnie Darko will not be coming back, but there will be "meteorites and rabbits".[13]

Richard Kelly claimed in the director's cut commentary that he would never make a sequel, because he wanted to maintain the integrity of the film and just put the film to rest.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Q&A with Richard Kelly, Madstone Theaters and the San Diego Film Critics Society. "The movie is intended to be Virginia but we shot it all around Southern California....It’s meant to be a stylized, satirical, comic book, fantasyland version of what I remember Midlothian, Virginia to be, I guess."
  2. ^ Donnie Darko screenplay.
  3. ^ Donnie Darko. Richard-Kelly.net (unofficial fansite). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  4. ^ "'Darko' takes a long, strange trip", USA Today. Retrieved on 2005-02-14. 
  5. ^ Donnie Darko. Indie Wire. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  6. ^ Donnie Darko. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  7. ^ Donnie Darko. IMDB. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  8. ^ Donnie Darko. Indie Wire. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  9. ^ Donnie Darko. Indie Wire. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
  10. ^ My Favourite Film. ABC. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
  11. ^ C4 relaunches Film4 with '50 films to see before you die' list countdown. Brand Republic. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  12. ^ Sarah Wallace (2007-08-07). Bringing the End of the World to Life. American Repertory Theatre. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
  13. ^ Wendy Mitchell (2008-05-09). Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko starts shooting May 18. Screen Daily. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  • Commentary with Kevin Smith (2003), Donnie Darko Directors Cut, Faber and Faber, ISBN 0571221246 .

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
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Richard Kelly
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Donnie Darko (2001)  · Southland Tales (2007) · The Box (2008)
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